The Roman City and Necropolis Dig - Sanisera Field School

Sanisera Archaeology Field School – 2012 –
The Necropolis Dig
MENORCA, BALEARIC ISLANDS (SPAIN)
1. General information
The Cape of Cavalleria Ecomuseum offers an annual
archaeological field school on the island of Menorca, off
the coast of Spain. Menorca is the easternmost island
of the Balearic Islands (Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca)
and enjoys a Mediterranean climate; calm and pleasant.
Menorca is located in the centre of the w estern part of
the Mediterranean Sea and because of its geographical
location, it has played an important role throughout
history. Menorca has been a strategic vantage point
for many civilizations; Punics, Romans, Arabs,
English, French, and Spanish have all conquered
Menorca in an attempt to dominate the Mediterranean
sea. Romans first arrived on Menorca in the year 123
BC, w hen the Roman army conquered the Balearic
Islands. For the following 600 years, Menorca was a
part of the immense Roman empire. On the island
they founded three cities. One of those cities, Sanisera
(our archaeological site), was built around the port of
Sanitja. The city flourished due to the considerable
maritime commerce that received boats travelling from
Spain to Italy, and from France to Africa.
Sanisera is located in the northernmost part of the
island, next to the Cape of Cavalleria Ecomuseum.
Since 1996, the Ecomuseum has organised courses in
archaeological excavation for students w ho come from
all over the world.

2. Course Description
The Cape of Cavalleria Ecomuseum in Menorca, Spain, has
scheduled for 2012, the excavation of a cluster of roman tombs
belonging to a cemetery located on the outskirts of the roman
city of Sanisera that was occupied from 123 BC to 550 AD. The
excavation is directed by Fernando Contreras, director of the
Ecomuseum of the Cape of Cavalleria in collaboration w ith
other specialists in physical anthropology and conservation.
The course runs 7 hours a day w hich is divided betw een
excavation of the tombs and laboratory w ork; study and
conservation of the human remains and other materials
recovered relating to the Necropolis. The fieldw ork focuses on
funerary structures, specifically inhumation graves. Students
will also participate in lectures, classes, exercises and
excursions related to the course material. For every seven
course days there are two days off.
Participants will learn and apply excavation techniques used in
physical anthropology w hen excavating the tombs. In the
laboratory, participants w ill follow guidelines set by an
anthropologist and other specialists for the classification,
study, and conserv ation of human remains and other related
material found. Participants will also be given lectures on
methodology, roman archaeology, physical anthropology and
classification of archaeological materials. Participants will visit
other archaeological sites on the island through organized
excursions. Courses are given in both English and Spanish.
3. Certificates
At the end of the course, students will receive a
certificate of participation stating the hours and activ ities of the
course.
Participants that perform exceedingly well in the course may
receive a letter of recommendation from our organization upon
request.
4. Directed at
The course is open to any individual that would like to learn
about archaeology. Although, w e do recommend a strong
interest in physical anthropology, prev ious know ledge or
experience is not required.

5. Sessions and Cost
10 Sessions (20 days each):
Session #1: April 20 – May 9 $ 1300
Session #2: May 12 – May 31 $ 2100
Session #3: June 3 – June 22 $ 2600
Session #4: June 25 – July 14 $ 2600
Session #5: July 17 – August 5 $ 2600
Session #6: August 8 – August 27 $ 2100
Session #7: August 30 – September 18 $ 2100
Session #8: September 20–October 9 $ 1500
Session #9: October 12 – October 31 $ 1300
Session #10: November 3 –November 22 $ 1300
Course fee includes:
• Course tuition.
• Accommodation in the Student Residency in
Ciutadella. Two to six per room. Near the historic
center, port and beaches.
• Daily transportation to/from the excav ation site.
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner in Ciutadella.
• Morning snack at the Ecomuseum.
• Accident insurance at the site.
• Excursion.
• Certificate of participation.
Airfare not included.
6. Spaces available
This course has limited av ailability. Reservations are only effectiv e
when payment of the registration fee is received. If for any reason
the course is cancelled, payment is returned according to the
field school refund policy (see the Ecomuseum’s webpage,
Archaeology Field School).
7. Information and reservations
For more information, contact :
Email: archaeology@ecomuseodecavalleria.com
Phone: +34 971 35 9999
Web page: www.ecomuseodecavalleria.com